Directional control of a vehicle microphone

ABSTRACT

A hands-free audio system for a vehicle and method of using the system is described. The method includes controlling the directionality of a vehicle microphone. The steps of the method may include: (a) receiving a sensor value from at least one of a vehicle seat position sensor, a vehicle seat orientation sensor, or a vehicle mirror orientation sensor; (b) based on the received sensor value(s) of step (a), determining an origin of a vehicle user&#39;s speech; and (c) controlling the microphone sensitivity directionality based on the determined origin.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicle microphone system, and moreparticularly to directional control of the vehicle microphone system.

BACKGROUND

In order to improve a vehicle user's driving experience, automotivevehicles may be equipped with a number of hands-free systems. One suchsystem may be a hands-free calling system. The system may include atelematics device for sending and receiving telephone calls, built-invehicle microphones, and a vehicle sound system having multiple audiospeakers. The microphone may receive a driver's voice which is processedand transmitted via the telematics device; further, the other party'svoice may be received via the telematics device and audibly provided tothe driver via the vehicle speakers. Thus, the driver may be capable ofkeeping his/her eyes on the road and hands on the wheel while placing anoutbound or receiving an inbound call and having a telephoneconversation.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a methodof controlling the directionality of a vehicle microphone. The methodmay include the steps of: (a) receiving a sensor value from at least oneof a vehicle seat position sensor, a vehicle seat orientation sensor, ora vehicle mirror orientation sensor; (b) based on the received sensorvalue(s) of step (a), determining an origin of a vehicle user's speech;and (c) controlling the microphone sensitivity directionality based onthe determined origin.

According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided ahands-free audio system for a vehicle. The system may include: a vehiclemicrophone for receiving user speech; at least one vehicle mirrororientation sensor configured to identify an orientation of at least onevehicle mirror; and a processor coupled to memory configured todetermine an origin of the user's speech based upon the identified atleast one mirror orientation and directionally control the microphonebased upon the determination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be describedin conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designationsdenote like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an embodiment of a communicationssystem that is capable of utilizing the method disclosed herein;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a vehicle having a hands-free audio system withautomatic directional microphone control;

FIG. 3 illustrates a microphone directionality of the hands-free audiosystem shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4A is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the vehicle and thehands-free audio system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is another diagrammatic view of a portion of the vehicle and thehands-free audio system shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A is an elevational view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5B is another diagrammatic view of a portion of the vehicle and thehands-free audio system shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an illustrative method of controllingthe directionality of a microphone using the hands-free audio systemshown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT(S)

A system and one or more method(s) are described below that pertain to ahands-free audio system in a vehicle. More particularly, the systemincludes one or more microphone(s) that may be directed to receivespeech from a vehicle driver according to an automatic speechrecognition (ASR) system. In conventional systems, a fixed microphonemay be oriented or otherwise configured to receive speech originatingfrom a fixed spatial location in the vehicle associated with the averagelocation of a driver's head. For example, the microphone may beconfigured to receive speech from the head of a 50th-percentile driver(i.e., from the head of a human being of the 50th-percentile size)—e.g.,determined according to known human factors engineering techniques. Inaddition, the microphone may be directed at a predetermined height abovethe driver's seat (e.g., 50 cm). However, the system described below iscapable of fine-tuning the directionality of the microphone(s) based onunique physical features of the driver. Thus, for example, instead ofproviding a microphone with directionality based on a fixed human size,the system provides a microphone directionality that is tailor-able.Moreover, the system does not require the driver to manually adjust themicrophone directionality. In at least one embodiment, thedirectionality is based on a number of input criteria, including inputreceived from a vehicle seat position sensor, a vehicle seat orientationsensor, and/or one or more vehicle mirror orientation sensors.

This system and method are described below with reference to FIGS. 2-6as they would be used in connection with the mobile vehiclecommunications system of FIG. 1.

Communications System—

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown an operating environment thatcomprises a mobile vehicle communications system 10 and that can be usedto implement the method disclosed herein. Communications system 10generally includes a vehicle 12, one or more wireless carrier systems14, a land communications network 16, a computer 18, and a call center20. It should be understood that the disclosed method can be used withany number of different systems and is not specifically limited to theoperating environment shown here. Also, the architecture, construction,setup, and operation of the system 10 and its individual components aregenerally known in the art. Thus, the following paragraphs simplyprovide a brief overview of one such communications system 10; however,other systems not shown here could employ the disclosed method as well.

Vehicle 12 is depicted in the illustrated embodiment as a passenger car,but it should be appreciated that any other vehicle includingmotorcycles, trucks, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), recreationalvehicles (RVs), marine vessels, aircraft, etc., can also be used. Someof the vehicle electronics 28 is shown generally in FIG. 1 and includesa telematics unit 30, a microphone 32, one or more pushbuttons or othercontrol inputs 34, an audio system 36, a visual display 38, and a GPSmodule 40 as well as a number of vehicle system modules (VSMs) 42. Someof these devices can be connected directly to the telematics unit suchas, for example, the microphone 32 and pushbutton(s) 34, whereas othersare indirectly connected using one or more network connections, such asa communications bus 44 or an entertainment bus 46. Examples of suitablenetwork connections include a controller area network (CAN), a mediaoriented system transfer (MOST), a local interconnection network (LIN),a local area network (LAN), and other appropriate connections such asEthernet or others that conform with known ISO, SAE and IEEE standardsand specifications, to name but a few.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top or plan view of vehicle 12 having a hands-freeaudio system 100 with automatic directional microphone controlelectrically coupled to the telematics unit 30 and several vehicle 12features, including a driver's seat 102 having a seat base 104 coupledat one end to a backrest 106, a driver's side mirror assembly 110(having a base 112 carrying a mirror 114 and having a reference datum116), a passenger's side mirror assembly 120 (having a base 122 carryinga mirror 124 and having a reference datum 126), and a driver's rearviewmirror assembly 130 (having a base 132 carrying a mirror 134 and havinga reference datum 136). The system 100 includes the microphone 32 andone more sensors 140. The sensors 140 may include a seat position sensor140 a, a seat orientation sensor 140 b, a driver-side mirror sensor 140c, a passenger-side mirror sensor 140 d, and a rearview mirror sensor140 e, just to name a few examples. The microphone 32 may include asingle microphone receiving element or may include multiple microphonereceiving elements (e.g., an array or similar configuration).

The seat position sensor 140 a may be configured to detect the axial orlongitudinal displacement (e.g., fore and aft) of the driver's seat base104 and provide an electrical signal or value indicating the relativeposition thereof. The seat orientation sensor 140 b may be configured todetect the angular displacement of the backrest 106 relative to the seatbase 104 and provide an electrical signal or value indicating therelative angular orientation thereof. The mirror sensors 140 c, 140 d,140 e may each be configured to detect the angular orientation of therespective mirrors 114, 124, 134 with respect to the respectivereference datums 116, 126, 136, and provide electrical signals or valuesindicating the relative orientations thereof. The signals may bediscretely transmitted between the sensors 140 and the telematics unit30, or may be transmitted via a bus (e.g., communications bus 44) orother suitable wired or wireless means. In some instances, the referencedatums 116, 126, 136 may be associated with or a part of the bases 112,122, 132.

Returning to FIG. 1, the telematics unit 30 can be an OEM-installed(embedded) or aftermarket device that is installed in the vehicle andthat enables wireless voice and/or data communication over wirelesscarrier system 14 and via wireless networking. This enables the vehicleto communicate with call center 20, other telematics-enabled vehicles,or some other entity or device. The telematics unit preferably usesradio transmissions to establish a communications channel (a voicechannel and/or a data channel) with wireless carrier system 14 so thatvoice and/or data transmissions can be sent and received over thechannel. By providing both voice and data communication, telematics unit30 enables the vehicle to offer a number of different services includingthose related to navigation, telephony, emergency assistance,diagnostics, infotainment, etc. Data can be sent either via a dataconnection, such as via packet data transmission over a data channel, orvia a voice channel using techniques known in the art. For combinedservices that involve both voice communication (e.g., with a liveadvisor or voice response unit at the call center 20) and datacommunication (e.g., to provide GPS location data or vehicle diagnosticdata to the call center 20), the system can utilize a single call over avoice channel and switch as needed between voice and data transmissionover the voice channel, and this can be done using techniques known tothose skilled in the art.

According to one embodiment, telematics unit 30 utilizes cellularcommunication according to either GSM or CDMA standards and thusincludes a standard cellular chipset 50 for voice communications likehands-free calling, a wireless modem for data transmission, anelectronic processing device 52, one or more digital memory devices 54,and a dual antenna 56. It should be appreciated that the modem caneither be implemented through software that is stored in the telematicsunit and is executed by processor 52, or it can be a separate hardwarecomponent located internal or external to telematics unit 30. The modemcan operate using any number of different standards or protocols such asEVDO, CDMA, GPRS, and EDGE. Wireless networking between the vehicle andother networked devices can also be carried out using telematics unit30. For this purpose, telematics unit 30 can be configured tocommunicate wirelessly according to one or more wireless protocols, suchas any of the IEEE 802.11 protocols, WiMAX, or Bluetooth. When used forpacket-switched data communication such as TCP/IP, the telematics unitcan be configured with a static IP address or can set up toautomatically receive an assigned IP address from another device on thenetwork such as a router or from a network address server.

Processor 52 can be any type of device capable of processing electronicinstructions including microprocessors, microcontrollers, hostprocessors, controllers, vehicle communication processors, andapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It can be a dedicatedprocessor used only for telematics unit 30 or can be shared with othervehicle systems. Processor 52 executes various types of digitally-storedinstructions, such as software or firmware programs stored in memory 54,which enable the telematics unit to provide a wide variety of services.For instance, processor 52 can execute programs or process data to carryout at least a part of the method discussed herein.

Telematics unit 30 can be used to provide a diverse range of vehicleservices that involve wireless communication to and/or from the vehicle.Such services include: turn-by-turn directions and othernavigation-related services that are provided in conjunction with theGPS-based vehicle navigation module 40; airbag deployment notificationand other emergency or roadside assistance-related services that areprovided in connection with one or more collision sensor interfacemodules such as a body control module (not shown); diagnostic reportingusing one or more diagnostic modules; and infotainment-related serviceswhere music, webpages, movies, television programs, videogames and/orother information is downloaded by an infotainment module (not shown)and is stored for current or later playback. The above-listed servicesare by no means an exhaustive list of all of the capabilities oftelematics unit 30, but are simply an enumeration of some of theservices that the telematics unit is capable of offering. Furthermore,it should be understood that at least some of the aforementioned modulescould be implemented in the form of software instructions saved internalor external to telematics unit 30, they could be hardware componentslocated internal or external to telematics unit 30, or they could beintegrated and/or shared with each other or with other systems locatedthroughout the vehicle, to cite but a few possibilities. In the eventthat the modules are implemented as VSMs 42 located external totelematics unit 30, they could utilize vehicle bus 44 to exchange dataand commands with the telematics unit.

GPS module 40 receives radio signals from a constellation 60 of GPSsatellites. From these signals, the module 40 can determine vehicleposition that is used for providing navigation and otherposition-related services to the vehicle driver. Navigation informationcan be presented on the display 38 (or other display within the vehicle)or can be presented verbally such as is done when supplying turn-by-turnnavigation. The navigation services can be provided using a dedicatedin-vehicle navigation module (which can be part of GPS module 40), orsome or all navigation services can be done via telematics unit 30,wherein the position information is sent to a remote location forpurposes of providing the vehicle with navigation maps, map annotations(points of interest, restaurants, etc.), route calculations, and thelike. The position information can be supplied to call center 20 orother remote computer system, such as computer 18, for other purposes,such as fleet management. Also, new or updated map data can bedownloaded to the GPS module 40 from the call center 20 via thetelematics unit 30.

Apart from the audio system 36 and GPS module 40, the vehicle 12 caninclude other vehicle system modules (VSMs) 42 in the form of electronichardware components that are located throughout the vehicle andtypically receive input from one or more sensors and use the sensedinput to perform diagnostic, monitoring, control, reporting and/or otherfunctions. For example, the sensors 140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, 140 e,etc. may be coupled to a Audio System VSM (AS-VSM) and the AS-VSM 42 maybe coupled to the telematics unit 30. Each of the VSMs 42 is preferablyconnected by communications bus 44 to the other VSMs, as well as to thetelematics unit 30, and can be programmed to run vehicle system andsubsystem diagnostic tests. As examples, one VSM 42 can be an enginecontrol module (ECM) that controls various aspects of engine operationsuch as fuel ignition and ignition timing, another VSM 42 can be apowertrain control module that regulates operation of one or morecomponents of the vehicle powertrain, and another VSM 42 can be a bodycontrol module that governs various electrical components locatedthroughout the vehicle, like the vehicle's power door locks andheadlights. According to one embodiment, the engine control module isequipped with on-board diagnostic (OBD) features that provide myriadreal-time data, such as that received from various sensors includingvehicle emissions sensors, and provide a standardized series ofdiagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) that allow a technician to rapidlyidentify and remedy malfunctions within the vehicle. As is appreciatedby those skilled in the art, the above-mentioned VSMs are only examplesof some of the modules that may be used in vehicle 12, as numerousothers are also possible.

Vehicle electronics 28 also includes a number of vehicle user interfacesthat provide vehicle occupants with a means of providing and/orreceiving information, including microphone 32, pushbuttons(s) 34, audiosystem 36, and visual display 38. As used herein, the term ‘vehicle userinterface’ broadly includes any suitable form of electronic device,including both hardware and software components, which is located on thevehicle and enables a vehicle user to communicate with or through acomponent of the vehicle. Microphone 32 provides audio input to thetelematics unit to enable the driver or other occupant to provide voicecommands and carry out hands-free calling via the wireless carriersystem 14. For this purpose, it can be connected to an on-boardautomated voice processing unit utilizing human-machine interface (HMI)technology known in the art. The pushbutton(s) 34 allow manual userinput into the telematics unit 30 to initiate wireless telephone callsand provide other data, response, or control input. Separate pushbuttonscan be used for initiating emergency calls versus regular serviceassistance calls to the call center 20. Audio system 36 provides audiooutput to a vehicle occupant and can be a dedicated, stand-alone systemor part of the primary vehicle audio system. According to the particularembodiment shown here, audio system 36 is operatively coupled to bothvehicle bus 44 and entertainment bus 46 and can provide AM, FM andsatellite radio, CD, DVD and other multimedia functionality. Thisfunctionality can be provided in conjunction with or independent of theinfotainment module described above. Visual display 38 is preferably agraphics display, such as a touch screen on the instrument panel or aheads-up display reflected off of the windshield, and can be used toprovide a multitude of input and output functions. Various other vehicleuser interfaces can also be utilized, as the interfaces of FIG. 1 areonly an example of one particular implementation.

Wireless carrier system 14 is preferably a cellular telephone systemthat includes a plurality of cell towers 70 (only one shown), one ormore mobile switching centers (MSCs) 72, as well as any other networkingcomponents required to connect wireless carrier system 14 with landnetwork 16. Each cell tower 70 includes sending and receiving antennasand a base station, with the base stations from different cell towersbeing connected to the MSC 72 either directly or via intermediaryequipment such as a base station controller. Cellular system 14 canimplement any suitable communications technology, including for example,analog technologies such as AMPS, or the newer digital technologies suchas CDMA (e.g., CDMA2000) or GSM/GPRS. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, various cell tower/base station/MSC arrangements arepossible and could be used with wireless system 14. For instance, thebase station and cell tower could be co-located at the same site or theycould be remotely located from one another, each base station could beresponsible for a single cell tower or a single base station couldservice various cell towers, and various base stations could be coupledto a single MSC, to name but a few of the possible arrangements.

Apart from using wireless carrier system 14, a different wirelesscarrier system in the form of satellite communication can be used toprovide uni-directional or bi-directional communication with thevehicle. This can be done using one or more communication satellites 62and an uplink transmitting station 64. Uni-directional communication canbe, for example, satellite radio services, wherein programming content(news, music, etc.) is received by transmitting station 64, packaged forupload, and then sent to the satellite 62, which broadcasts theprogramming to subscribers. Bi-directional communication can be, forexample, satellite telephony services using satellite 62 to relaytelephone communications between the vehicle 12 and station 64. If used,this satellite telephony can be utilized either in addition to or inlieu of wireless carrier system 14.

Land network 16 may be a conventional land-based telecommunicationsnetwork that is connected to one or more landline telephones andconnects wireless carrier system 14 to call center 20. For example, landnetwork 16 may include a public switched telephone network (PSTN) suchas that used to provide hardwired telephony, packet-switched datacommunications, and the Internet infrastructure. One or more segments ofland network 16 could be implemented through the use of a standard wirednetwork, a fiber or other optical network, a cable network, power lines,other wireless networks such as wireless local area networks (WLANs), ornetworks providing broadband wireless access (BWA), or any combinationthereof. Furthermore, call center 20 need not be connected via landnetwork 16, but could include wireless telephony equipment so that itcan communicate directly with a wireless network, such as wirelesscarrier system 14.

Computer 18 can be one of a number of computers accessible via a privateor public network such as the Internet. Each such computer 18 can beused for one or more purposes, such as a web server accessible by thevehicle via telematics unit 30 and wireless carrier 14. Other suchaccessible computers 18 can be, for example: a service center computerwhere diagnostic information and other vehicle data can be uploaded fromthe vehicle via the telematics unit 30; a client computer used by thevehicle owner or other subscriber for such purposes as accessing orreceiving vehicle data or to setting up or configuring subscriberpreferences or controlling vehicle functions; or a third partyrepository to or from which vehicle data or other information isprovided, whether by communicating with the vehicle 12 or call center20, or both. A computer 18 can also be used for providing Internetconnectivity such as DNS services or as a network address server thatuses DHCP or other suitable protocol to assign an IP address to thevehicle 12.

Call center 20 is designed to provide the vehicle electronics 28 with anumber of different system back-end functions and, according to theexemplary embodiment shown here, generally includes one or more switches80, servers 82, databases 84, live advisors 86, as well as an automatedvoice response system (VRS) 88, all of which are known in the art. Thesevarious call center components are preferably coupled to one another viaa wired or wireless local area network 90. Switch 80, which can be aprivate branch exchange (PBX) switch, routes incoming signals so thatvoice transmissions are usually sent to either the live adviser 86 byregular phone or to the automated voice response system 88 using VoIP.The live advisor phone can also use VoIP as indicated by the broken linein FIG. 1. VoIP and other data communication through the switch 80 isimplemented via a modem (not shown) connected between the switch 80 andnetwork 90. Data transmissions are passed via the modem to server 82and/or database 84. Database 84 can store account information such assubscriber authentication information, vehicle identifiers, profilerecords, behavioral patterns, and other pertinent subscriberinformation. Data transmissions may also be conducted by wirelesssystems, such as 802.11x, GPRS, and the like. Although the illustratedembodiment has been described as it would be used in conjunction with amanned call center 20 using live advisor 86, it will be appreciated thatthe call center can instead utilize VRS 88 as an automated advisor or, acombination of VRS 88 and the live advisor 86 can be used.

Method—

Having described the various elements of the communication system 10,one or more method(s) of using the communication system, specificallythe hands-free audio system 100 in the vehicle 12, will be describedhereafter.

In general, the system 100 enables automatic directional microphonecontrol tailored to the size of a vehicle user. For example, when adriver enters vehicle 12 (or even thereafter), the directionality of themicrophone 32 is fine-tuned based on various input criteria such as thedriver's seat position, the driver's seat orientation, and/or thevehicle mirrors' orientation. It should be appreciated that in someSmart vehicles, the telematics unit 30 will recognize a driver'sidentity automatically upon the driver's entrance to the vehicle; e.g.,the driver has a stored profile including stored seatposition/orientation, mirror orientation, and optimized microphonedirection (e.g., previously determined). To illustrate, the telematicsunit 30 may identify the user by recognizing the driver's cellulardevice (e.g., using an identifier unique to the device such as a MACaddress), one or more pressure sensors located at the driver's seat 102(not shown), etc. In other implementations, the automatic directionalmicrophone control may rely upon the driver adjusting the seat, mirrors,etc.

The automatic directional microphone control may utilize beamformingtechniques known to skilled artisans. In general, beamforming is asignal processing technique that may be used to control either thedirectionality of the reception or transmission of a signal at a sourceor sink device (e.g., a transducer). Thus, in the presentimplementations, beamforming should be broadly construed to include anyspatial filtering in the time or frequency domains to control (andimprove) the audio quality of the driver's voice received at themicrophone 32.

FIG. 6 illustrates one illustrative method 600. The method begins withstep 605 as the telematics unit 30 checks or determines whether adriver/user profile is stored in the memory 54. The driver profile maynot be limited to a stored seat position, a stored seat orientation, adriver side-mirror orientation, a passenger side-mirror orientation,and/or optimized microphone direction. For example, it may furtherinclude climate control preferences, entertainment preferences, etc.When at least one stored profile is found, the method 600 proceeds tostep 610, and when a stored profile is not found, the method proceeds tostep 630 to create a new driver profile.

In step 610, the telematics unit 30 or other suitable device determineswhether the driver/user is associated with the stored profile orprofiles. Step 610 may include identification of the driver's cellulardevice as discussed above, the driver manually providing an indicationof his/her identity (e.g., via a vehicle head unit), or via any othersuitable identification manner known to skilled artisans. If the drivermatches one of the stored profiles, the method proceeds to step 615;otherwise, the method 600 proceeds to step 630.

In step 615, the telematics unit 30 may configure the vehicle 12according to the driver's profile. This may include adjusting themirrors 114, 124, and/or 134 and the seat position and orientation, aswell as configuring the microphone 32 to a stored directional value(s)associated with the driver's physical characteristics and the driverseat position, the driver seat orientation, and/or the mirrororientations. The method by which the directional value(s) is determinedwill be discussed below.

Following step 615, the method proceeds to step 620 and receives one ormore present sensor values from the vehicles sensors 140—e.g., via bus44. This step may occur continuously, after a predetermined period oftime or, in some cases, when triggered (e.g., via step 625).

The trigger step 625 may include any manual or automatic adjustment ofthe vehicle seat 102 (e.g., a change in the input received at sensors140 a, 140 b) or any manual or automatic adjustment of the vehiclemirrors 114, 124, 134 (e.g., a change in the input received at sensors140 c, 140 d, 140 e). In another example, the trigger step 625 may occurwhen the audio system 100 is initiated or used (e.g., a hand-free callbutton is depressed or a voice command button is depressed, e.g., bothon a vehicle steering wheel). Or for example, another trigger might beassociated with the driver's door opening and/or closing or a change inthe driver seat pressure sensors—all indicating another driver may beentering the vehicle. Other triggers and instances also are possible.

Regardless, step 620 may include receiving at the telematics unit atleast one sensor value associated with the seat 102 (e.g., the sensorvalue associated with sensors 140 a and/or 140 b) and/or at least onesensor value associated with at least one of the mirror assemblies 110,120, 130 (e.g., sensor values associated with sensors 140 c, 140 d,and/or 140 e). In another embodiment, the telematics unit 30 receivessensor values from each of the seat position sensor 140 a, the seatorientation sensor 140 b, the driver-side mirror sensor 140 c, thepassenger-side mirror sensor 140 d, and the rearview mirror sensor 140e. These are merely examples; other combinations or sensor values arealso possible.

Following step 620, the method 600 proceeds to step 655 to determinewhether the present sensor values are the same as the previouslyimplemented sensor values. In this instance of course, the previouslyimplemented sensor values include those stored in the driver's profilethat was retrieved from memory 54. Step 655 will be discussed in greaterdetail below.

Returning now to step 630, the method 600 generates or creates a newprofile. The new profile ultimately may or may not be stored in memory54. For example, profiles not saved may be considered temporary or basedon usage, etc. This step may include associating a unique cellulardevice identifier with the new profile.

Following step 630, in step 635 the telematics unit 30 may receive oneor more present values from one or more vehicle sensors 140. Step 635may essentially be the same as step 620.

After step 635, the method may proceed to step 640 and set adirectionality value for the microphone 32. The directionality value isbased upon beamforming parameters or a beamforming algorithm or modewhich is determined based on the location or three-dimensionalcoordinates of the driver's mouth or point of utterance or origin. Theorigin is determined based on at least one or more of the sensor valuesreceived from sensors 140.

As previously discussed, the beamforming mode may direct the sensitivityof the microphone 32 in a general or concentrated direction orlobe—without physically moving or re-orienting the microphone. FIG. 3illustrates a sensitivity lobe 160 directed at an origin 150(representing the driver's mouth).

The origin 150 may be referenced to a known location in the vehicle 12(e.g., the location of the microphone 32) and may be derived usingsensor values obtained from the sensors 140. For example, the x-y-zcoordinates of the origin 150 may be derived from the seat's 102relative position and/or orientation as well as the mirror assemblies110, 120, 130. FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the seat 102 in differentaxial positions (e.g., different fore and aft positions)—e.g., along anx-axis. And the origin 150 (x-y coordinates) may be derived or locallyestimated using both the seat position and/or seat orientation. FIGS. 5Aand 5B illustrate the mirrors 114, 124, 134 angled relative to thedriver's head, more specifically, angled relative to the driver's eyes.Thus, the orientation of the mirrors 114, 124, 134 individually and/orcollectively may be correlated to a line-of-sight (LOS) region 155spaced just above the origin 150 (x-z coordinates). Using the LOS region155 and known human factors (e.g., average or mean spacing between humaneyes and the human mouth), the origin 150 (x-y-z coordinates) may be atleast partially identified (or even solely identified thereby). Thuswhen at least some of the values from sensors 140 are considered andcalculated (e.g., by the processor 52 of the telematics unit),three-dimensional coordinates of the origin 150 may be derived. And oncethe origin 150 (x-y-z coordinates) is identified, the directionalityvalue of the microphone 32 may be determined and configured according tothe appropriate beamforming parameters thereby better enhancing audioquality.

It will be appreciated that this determination may be the same orsimilar to that assumed to be previously conducted in order to havestored the driver's profile (step 605); furthermore, it will be thisdirectionality value(s) that will enable the performance of configuringthe microphone 32 in step 615.

And thus after step 640, the new directionality value may be stored in anew user profile in step 645. Of course, other values may be storedincluding the seat position/orientation, mirror orientation, etc., aspreviously described.

According to method 600, step 650 may follow thereafter. In step 650,the telematics unit 30 may receive one more present values from thevehicle sensors 140. This step may be similar to that described in step620. Moreover, step 650 may or may not be triggered via step 625.

Following step 650 (and step 620 as previously discussed), step 655 maydetermine whether the present (or instantaneously obtained) sensorvalues have changed from those previously implemented. For example, themethod 600 may determine whether the driver changed the mirrororientations, seat position and/or seat orientation, etc. If a change isdetermined, the method may proceed to step 660; otherwise, the method600 may end.

In step 660, the telematics unit 30 may adjust the beamformingparameters according to the known techniques discussed above in step 640(e.g., to a second beamforming mode). Together, FIGS. 4A and 4Billustrate that by simply moving the seat 102 fore or aft, the origin150 may change. For example, both FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the seat102 in different fore/aft positions (see the x-axis in both figures). InFIG. 4A, the arrow d indicates the directionality of the microphone 32and its corresponding sensitivity lobe 160. As shown in FIG. 4B, theorigin has changed; origin 150′ is shifted vehicle forward—the dashedarrow d indicating the previous origin 150 and the solid arrow d′indicating the new origin 150′. Thus, when the seat 102 is movedforward, the beamforming parameters associated with the lobe 160′ inFIG. 4B will result in better microphone 32 performance. This is merelyan illustrative example. After step 660, the method proceeds again tostep 645 (which may proceed as previously described).

The described method 600 has utilized processing device 52 of thetelematics unit 30 to perform the logic computations, calculations,algorithms, etc.; however, it should appreciated that another processoror processing device could also be used. For example, a processordedicated to the hands-free audio system 100 or a processor in a vehiclehead unit, etc.).

Alternative embodiments also exist. For example, the determination of achange in the sensor values in step 655 may require the values to beidentical or within a predetermined tolerance. For example, if the seatposition sensor has 30 incremental positions fore and aft (e.g.,position 1, position 2, . . . position 29, position 30), and theprevious stored value indicated position 15 while the present valueindicated position 16, a tolerance of ‘3 positions’ might result in step655 determining ‘a match’ or ‘no change’ (as position 15 is within 3positions of position 16). Similarly, the sensor values from the seatorientation sensor 140 b and those associated with the mirror assemblies(i.e., sensors 140 c, 140 d, 140 e) may be an identical match or withina predetermined tolerance as well.

Another alternative embodiment includes a steerable microphone. Forexample, the previous embodiments describe the microphone 32 in a fixedarrangement using beamforming to control the microphone's sensitivity;however, the microphone 32 may be movable or adjustable as well—inaccordance with the one or more sensor inputs or values (e.g., fromsensors 140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, 140 e, etc.). Or for example, acombination of microphone steering and beamforming may be used.

The method(s) may be performed as one or more computer programsexecutable by one or more computing devices of or in communication witha vehicle telematics system to cause the system and/or the computingdevice(s) to perform the method, and the various method related data maybe stored in any suitable memory. The computer program may exist in avariety of forms both active and inactive. For example, the computerprogram can exist as software program(s) comprised of programinstructions in source code, object code, executable code or otherformats; firmware program(s); or hardware description language (HDL)files. Any of the above can be embodied on a computer usable or readablemedium, which include one or more storage devices or articles. Exemplarycomputer usable storage devices include conventional computer system RAM(random access memory), ROM (read only memory), EPROM (erasable,programmable ROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable, programmable ROM), andmagnetic or optical disks or tapes. It is therefore to be understoodthat the methods may be at least partially performed by any electronicdevice(s) capable of executing the above-described functions.

In one embodiment, the performed method(s) include computer programsexecutable using the telematics unit processor 52 and memory 54. Forexample, the processor 52 may execute instructions that receive inputfrom sensors 140, determine an origin based on that sensor input, anddirectionally control a microphone's reception sensitivity afterdetermining the origin (e.g., using beamforming techniques and/orphysically steering the microphone). When determining the origin, theperformed method(s) may include other parameters known to skilledartisans, including ambient noise, vehicle acoustic parameters, etc.

Thus there has been described a hands-free audio system capable oftailoring or fine-tuning the directionality of a microphone ormicrophone array based on the determined position or location of adriver's head and mouth. Further, the described system receives one morevehicle sensor input(s) and derives or otherwise identifies the positionbased on the sensor input(s). Further, the present disclosure includesone or more methods of tuning the microphone directionality based upondifferent and/or changing drivers.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is a description of one ormore embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to theparticular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solelyby the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in theforegoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the invention or on thedefinition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase isexpressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changesand modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent tothose skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, andmodifications are intended to come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

As used in this specification and claims, the terms “e.g.,” “forexample,” “for instance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs“comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, whenused in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or otheritems, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listingis not to be considered as excluding other, additional components oritems. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonablemeaning unless they are used in a context that requires a differentinterpretation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling directionality of asingle vehicle microphone, comprising the steps of: creating a userprofile stored in a vehicle, comprising: receiving at least one sensoroutput at a processor of a vehicle system module (VSM), wherein the atleast one sensor output is associated with a directional position of avehicle mirror, wherein the vehicle mirror is associated with a user ofthe vehicle in a driver's seat; using the at least one sensor outputthat is associated with the directional position of the vehicle mirror,determining at the processor an origin of user speech associated withthe user; based on the determined origin of user speech, determining atthe processor a directional setting of the single vehicle microphonethat concentrates a sensitivity of that single microphone at the originof user speech, wherein the directional setting is adapted to improveautomatic speech recognition; and storing in memory the directionalsetting as part of the user profile; receiving at the VSM a triggerassociated with applying the stored user profile; and in response toreceiving the trigger, applying the directional setting stored in theuser profile in order to control the directionality of only the singlevehicle microphone.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: whenthe user later re-enters the driver's seat, identifying the user;selecting the previously-created user profile associated with the user;retrieving from memory the directional setting associated with the userprofile; and then controlling the directionality of the single vehiclemicrophone based on the directional setting to improve automatic speechrecognition.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating andstoring in VSM memory a plurality of user profiles for different usersof the vehicle, and further comprising: selecting one of the pluralityof user profiles each time one of the users enters the driver's seat,wherein each of the plurality of user profiles is created based on theposition of the vehicle mirror when the respective user is in thedriver's seat.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein, when creating the userprofile, the step of receiving at least one sensor output furthercomprises receiving a plurality of sensor outputs at the processor,wherein each of the plurality of sensor outputs are associated with adifferent vehicle mirror and each respective vehicle mirror'sdirectional position with respect to the user in the driver′ seat. 5.The method of claim 4, wherein the different vehicle mirrors include atleast two of a vehicle rear-view mirror within a vehicle cabin, adriver's side mirror, and a passenger's side mirror.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein controlling the directionality of the one vehiclemicrophone further comprises panning and/or tilting the single vehiclemicrophone.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving atleast one sensor output further includes receiving sensor outputassociated with a driver's seat position, wherein the determined originof user speech comprises using sensor output associated with both thedriver's seat position and the at least one vehicle mirror.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: after the user profile is storedin memory and while the user remains seated in the driver′ seat,re-determining the origin of user speech based on a trigger event. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the trigger event includes receiving anindication at the processor of a change in the directional position ofthe vehicle mirror or receiving an indication of a change in a positionor an orientation of the driver's seat.
 10. A method of controlling adirectionality of a single vehicle microphone, comprising the steps of:creating a user profile stored in a vehicle, comprising: receiving atleast one sensor output at a processor of a vehicle system module (VSM),wherein the at least one sensor output is associated with a directionalposition of a vehicle mirror, wherein the vehicle mirror is associatedwith a user of the vehicle in a driver's seat; using the at least onesensor output that is associated with the directional position of thevehicle mirror, determining at the processor an origin of user speechassociated with the user; based on the determined origin of user speech,determining at the processor a directional setting of a single vehiclemicrophone that concentrates a sensitivity of that single vehiclemicrophone at the origin of user speech, wherein the directional settingis adapted to improve automatic speech recognition; and storing inmemory the directional setting as part of the user profile; receiving asignal at the VSM via a user interface in the vehicle, wherein thesignal indicates a user actuation at the user interface, wherein thesignal commands the VSM to apply the directional setting stored in theuser profile; and in response to receiving the signal, applying thedirectional setting stored in the user profile in order to control thedirectionality of only the single vehicle microphone.